


Proved and Studied

by still_lycoris



Category: Blake's 7
Genre: Established Relationship, Extra Trick, F/M, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-26 03:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12548276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_lycoris/pseuds/still_lycoris
Summary: Anna asks Avon if he believes in ghosts.





	Proved and Studied

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tish/gifts).



“Do you believe in ghosts?”

Anna sounded thoughtful as though the question mattered to her. Avon didn’t look up from his computer. There wasn’t much point, given the obvious answer.

“No.”

“Oh, come now!” she said, her voice amused. “You haven’t even thought about the question!”

“Of course I have. I believe in science,” Avon said firmly. “I believe in what can be proved, what can be studied. Ghosts do not fall into either of those categories.”

Anna slid off the chair she was sitting on and knelt beside him. She was warm and Avon felt the still-unaccustomed throb of affection that he felt when she was close. He found that he wanted to put an arm around her but controlled the impulse and just looked at her instead. She was smiling, a little like she was laughing at him which he didn’t like very much, even from her. He frowned and she smiled more.

“Oh Avon,” she said. “Not everything in life can be proved or studied!”

“Everything worthwhile can be,” Avon said firmly.

“Oh really? Can a memory be proved or studied?”

“Yes,” Avon said, turning back to his computer. “We can look at the part of the brain that tests if you’re actually remembering something. We can look at empirical evidence to see if what you are remembering actually happened or not. Memory can be proved, ghosts cannot.”

“Can _love_ be proved or studied?”

She said it lightly but Avon had a feeling that the answer mattered to her. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Love? Love is a chemical reaction. You can prove it exists as before, by studying the brain.”

“Oh Avon.” Anna was shaking her head but she was still smiling. “You’re not what one could call a romantic, are you?”

“Never,” Avon said. “But then, you knew that, didn’t you?”

She put her arms around his neck, very lightly and kissed his cheek. Avon shivered and turned to her properly. She kissed him soundly on the lips and Avon forgot about the computer.

It was a very long time later that he thought about the conversation again. He was willing to concede that he had been slightly wrong.

Ghosts of the dead ... he still didn’t believe in that. But ghosts of the mind? Ghosts that haunted you, changed what you did, left you changed forever even when you found out about their lies and deceit ...

Yes. Those ghosts existed.

And however much you tried to exorcise them, those ghosts remained.


End file.
